Making electricity from bio-ethanol

It’s really a logical step if you think about it.  There are petrol-driven generators and diesel-driven generators, so why not make one that uses bio-ethanol?

That’s what Germany’s Frauenhofer Institute have done according to this article, although they are referring to the item in question as a “fuel cell”.

They hold up to 300 litres of bio-ethanol and can generate 250 Watts of electricity.  One idea for their use is in developing countries, eg. in hospitals.  But perhaps there will also be a demand for this sort of generator in industrial countries as well.